The struggle between the forces promoting reform and those that would like to keep things as they are has not been resolved in Romania yet, Quinton Quayle, UK's Ambassador in Bucharest on Tuesday said during the "Romania after 2007: Macroeconomic stability and prospects."
In an assessment of the challenges Romania is facing 1,000 days before the date when it should join the European Union, the British diplomat specified, "too many officials at all levels are either blocking reform or doing too little to promote it."
He says the change in Romania can no longer be stopped. Yet the pace it progresses at is up to everybody's ability to work in concert for the national good instead of their own good.
The British Ambassador feels Romania would fail on its way towards accession only if it felt into the complacency trap and drew the conclusion that political support was enough to guarantee its EU accession.
"Let's face it, attaining the accession goals is not a done deal. I don't think this Government or whoever comes in power after the elections can afford to miss this chance. The failure of the accession negotiations would be a huge disappointment," Quayle said.
He blamed again the lack of firm actions from the authorities against corruption. "There are far too many people involved in acts of corruption and there is not enough done to end this phenomenon," the Ambassador said.
At the same time, he warned that Romania should not delude itself about the challenges it is facing.
"More uncertain is, in my opinion, the quality of Romania's EU accession." Quayle believes Romania can catch up with most of the Central European states in the next 10 years if it speeds up its economic reform pace, improves efficiency and disbands the state-run sector and if it completes the judiciary and administration reform instead of merely talking about it.
"It is in no way certain that this vision will be achieved," the British Ambassador said.
He reiterated the complaints of the British investors and of other investors, after all, pointing out that the business environment was not as clean and transparent as it should be, because there was still too much tolerance for corruption.
The best proof in this regard is the low foreign investment level Romania has managed to attract.
"The fact that there isn't more foreign cash entering Romania is a strong signal that the business environment here is not as good as should be," Quinton Quayle added.
razvan.voican@zf.ro
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